Files in this item
The doctrine of theosis and the reality of purpose : exploring the convergence between deification and organismic teleology
Item metadata
dc.contributor.author | Leidenhag, Mikael | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2021-12-17T11:30:01Z | |
dc.date.available | 2021-12-17T11:30:01Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2021-12-17 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Leidenhag , M 2021 , ' The doctrine of theosis and the reality of purpose : exploring the convergence between deification and organismic teleology ' , Toronto Journal of Theology , vol. 37 , no. 2 , pp. 198-209 . https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2020-0110 | en |
dc.identifier.issn | 0826-9831 | |
dc.identifier.other | PURE: 268668617 | |
dc.identifier.other | PURE UUID: 82f9e75e-59ed-4efa-834f-853c641cec87 | |
dc.identifier.other | Scopus: 85121695451 | |
dc.identifier.other | WOS: 000727577700008 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10023/24533 | |
dc.description.abstract | Theosis is gaining significant attention in theological research. This paper argues that the doctrine of theosis, as it is portrayed in Eastern Orthodox Theology, mediates a profoundly teleological vision of both humanity and creation. The telos of human nature and the wider world only makes sense in the light of God’s sovereign plan. Yet, modern science is on the whole reluctant to entertain any broader teleology within or for nature. This situation seems to produce a tension between a central component of Orthodox theology with contemporary science, and evolutionary biology in particular. This paper seeks to resolve this tension by exploring non-reductionist accounts of evolution, as well as the possibility of grounding teleology in the nature and functions of biological organisms. Thus, this paper also explores the conceptual shift from “mechanism” to “organism” in biological research. Moreover, as theosis locates the nature of humanity in the light of God’s broader purpose for the world, I make the concluding argument that Eastern Orthodoxy brings with it a well-needed realism regarding the epistemic limitations of the natural sciences. | |
dc.format.extent | 14 | |
dc.language.iso | eng | |
dc.relation.ispartof | Toronto Journal of Theology | en |
dc.rights | Copyright © Toronto Journal of Theology. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the author created accepted manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2020-0110 | en |
dc.subject | Teleology | en |
dc.subject | Deification | en |
dc.subject | Theosis | en |
dc.subject | Evolution | en |
dc.subject | Purpose | en |
dc.subject | BL Religion | en |
dc.subject | T-NDAS | en |
dc.subject.lcc | BL | en |
dc.title | The doctrine of theosis and the reality of purpose : exploring the convergence between deification and organismic teleology | en |
dc.type | Journal article | en |
dc.description.version | Postprint | en |
dc.contributor.institution | University of St Andrews.School of Divinity | en |
dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.3138/tjt-2020-0110 | |
dc.description.status | Peer reviewed | en |
dc.date.embargoedUntil | 2021-12-14 |
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.